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Thursday, June 7, 2012

Thursday Tales: The Fairies

"Shhh," I whispered to Leah, her 8-year-old hand clasped in mine. "This is Fairy Land, and we wouldn't want to disturb it."

She peered at the trees around us as we walked along the forest path. "Mom." She fixed me with a I-am-too-cool-for-you stare. "You know there's no such thing as fairies."

"Well, of course there is, don't be silly. Don't tell me you're too old to believe in fairies, young thing. I'm sure not!"

Leah stopped to run her fingers gently over a fern's leaves. "Do you really think there's fairies?" Her tone had gotten serious.

"Oh, not the kind you read about it in your fairy tales. They aren't grandmothers with wings sent out to grant wishes of ball gowns and princes. I'm not sure they grant wishes at all. They aren't even all good fairies. I don't think they're BAD necessarily, but some of them are naughty. Like they'll move your book to another room... or hide your keys under the couch."

She laughed. "You just think that because you can't ever find your keys!"

I smiled. "Well, maybe. But I still like blaming the fairies. They're not all naughty, though. Some fairies sit on your shoulder and whisper encouragements when you're feeling sad. When you're hurt, some fairies keep vigil and sprinkle fairy dust to keep you safe. And I think some fairies exist just so you know that there's someone around on your side."

Leah chewed on the inside of her cheek thoughtfully. "Do you really think that?"

"Look over there." I gestured to a dandelion at the edge of the path. "Do you see the dewdrop that sits on top of it? Those aren't just any dewdrops, Leah. Those are crystal balls, and if you are careful and look very closely, you can see right into Fairy Land."

She approached the dandelion quietly and knelt down to stare into it. "I... think I see something. Oh Mom, I do!" In her excitement, her knee bumped the dandelion and the drop of dew slid down to the dirt. Her face was stricken. "Oh, I ruined it."

I laid a hand on her head. "No worries, pet. It will be back tomorrow. The likes of us aren't really meant to see into Fairy Land anyway. It's enough for us just to know it's there."